


Balancing Act

by Moonrose91



Series: Three Hundred Years of Being Forgotten (Mostly) [7]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: A dash of angst at the end, Because I am about to get depressing, Fluff, Gen, Some Silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-09
Updated: 2012-12-09
Packaged: 2017-11-20 18:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/588371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonrose91/pseuds/Moonrose91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Frost learns how to perch on his staff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Balancing Act

Jack Frost eyed his staff curiously, using some of his magic to make it stand perfectly straight in the middle of the frozen lake that was his home.

Today was his fourth birthday and he wanted to try something so he could practice and then impress Sandman later.

He was always trying something new with his powers, usually so he could play with the children (and really, anyone else who wanted to play, he wasn't picky, he just prefered to play with the children) and, as such, he had yet to find something he  _couldn't_ do, except use the snow to travel by.

Oh well.

The North Wind was always happy to carry him though and, this way, he didn't have to think of any place, he could just ask the North Wind to take him someplace fun, and he was usually accomidated. Sometimes the North Wind just took him racing along the air currents and other times he was just dumped into the snow near the workshop that was owned by the weird guy with the thick accent and where Jack could play with the strange creature (a yeti, as it turned out). That was, of course, fun, but sometimes Jack didn't want the sharp, harsh, reminder that the only things that could see him were the yetis.

And Sandman.

Sandman who Jack didn't get to see often.

Who Jack was missing, but Jack wouldn't tell Sandman that.

Jack didn't want Sandman to feel guilty.

However, Sandman had yet to miss a birthday, so Jack was reassured that he would be seeing the dream-maker soon.

So, with that, Jack grinned and focused on his staff, the North Wind curling around him curiously.

Jack shifted and twitched and held onto the staff.

He had seen something when they went farther east than normal, of a man balancing on sticks. Climbing up them in fact.

It had been fascinating to watch and he wondered how the man had done it without falling down, but he figured that it was through continuous motion.

He was pretty sure that if the guy had stopped or showed fear, he would have fallen.

But it gave Jack an idea.

What if he could perch on his staff?

Ice it into the ground and then just...perch on it.

It would be amusing, to say the least, and if he could learn to do it on the fly, he could spin up onto it.

He would first just have to work on figuring out how to do it.

He held onto the staff and focused on making it stronger, infusing it with ice and he felt the staff  _grow_ in strength under his hands. He carefully gripped the curl and pressed his bare foot against the base.

He then pushed up, trying to run up the staff...only to fall backwards having flipped himself off it.

"Ow," he groaned while the North Wind whistled around him in concern as Jack rubbed the back of his head, slowly getting back up.

"Okay, that wasn't the best plan I ever had," he stated and the North Wind huffed at him.

He eyed the staff and made sure it was strong again before thinking.

He then grabbed the top of the hook, braced his feet...and began to climb. It was odd, and it hurt his feet a little, but he was on the top. He grinned a bit, even as he wobbled and eventually he managed to find a balance, perched on the staff.

"Okay, this wasn't as fun as I thought it was going to be. Can you give me a lift down?" he asked of the North Wind.

He yelped as the Wind blew him off and into a snowbank and Jack laughed.

He then stood up and continued to laugh as the Wind pushed him back again.

Soon, they were chasing each other around as the staff remained in the center of the pond, a frosted beacon that caught the golden light of Sandman's dream sand.

It was then that Jack slowed to a stop, despite the wind's pulling.

Jack frowned and looked around, but only the light greeted him with the nightly noises.

He stared at the darkness and then glided forward, towards his staff, the North Wind following him slowly. "Sorry Wind. I'm tired," he whispered, feeling...disappointed, maybe?

Jack blinked up in surprise as a snow began to fall, swirling around him. He looked around, blinking a bit and jumped when he heard something clatter. He looked down and stared in surprise as ice drops began hitting the frozen lake.

He reached up and touched his face, only to find frozen tear tracks.

And ice falling like tears.

"But...but I cry snowflakes!" he exclaimed.

But the answer came, as easily and gently as it always did with North Wind.

He cried snowflakes when he was  _happy_.

And he was far from that now.

Jack sighed and grabbed the staff. It easily released itself from the ice and he walked over to the snowbank, the light snow still falling. He settled into the snowbank, making sure his staff was in his grip, the top of the hook touching the base of the tree and creating a frost pattern. And with that, Jack curled up tightly in the snow and fell asleep, the silent snow slowly covering him, though it curled oddly as it hit his staff, giving him breathing holes without his conscious need to do so.

It was hours, near midnight, when Sandy came.

He looked around fruitlessly for Jack, but saw only shadows and darkness.

He sighed and covered his face in shame.

New moons were always hard on the Guardians and they often had to focus entirely on their jobs or they got jittery.

They disliked not being able to find Manny so easily and it set them on edge.

It wasn't till late when Sandy realized that he had not seen Jack today. He had flown, as fast as he could go, to the lake, but Jack was not here.

The North Wind watched the Sandman cautiously, knowing he was the, indirect, cause of Jack's pain.

Too bad the Sandman did not know the Winds' language.

North would have told...

The North Wind silenced his thoughts as he watched the Sandman build an igloo, hidden in the snowdrifts by placing his sand under the snow, hiding himself from view and the North Wind settled.

He'd tell Jack in the morning.

For now, he would let the Winter Child sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the major time skip, but plot has demanded I do so!
> 
> Actually, my brain did.
> 
> Time for the angst!
> 
> *sighs*
> 
> I am a cruel, vicious, person.


End file.
